Filter system for a paint-spraying machine



May 23, 1967 H. szczEPANsm FILTER SYSTEM FOR A PAINT-SPRAYING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 9, 1963 HARRY szczEPANsKl I N VEN TOR.

FIG.

May 23, 1967 H. szczEPANsKl 3,320,.927

FILTER SYSTEM FOR A PAINT-SPRAYING MACHINE Filed Aug. 9, 1963 2 Sheets-Shet 2 HARRY SZCZEPAN INVENT United States Patent O 3,320,927 FILTER SYSTEM FOR A PAINT-SI'RAYING MACHHNE Harry Szezepanski, 755 O'akleigh NW., Grand Rapids, Mieli. 49504 Filed Aug. 9, 1963. Ser. No. 3ll1,148 3 Claims. `(Cl. IIS- 326) This invention relates to the construction of filter systems for removing partieles of paint spray from the eX- haust draft of a spray Chamber. The invention has been developed primarily in conjunction with the form of spraying machine commonly used with rnaslred painting operations, and is partieularly adapted for use in conjunetion with such a machine having a down-draft exhaust duct in the front of the cabinet. A machine of this type is shown, described, and claimed in my Patent No. 2,728,- 322. Especially when using baking enamels, the spray partieles carried by the exhaust draft of conventional equipment tend to accumulate on the duct walls, and normally require frequent seraping for removal. The labor for this clean-up operation, and the eorresponding down-time of the equipment, are costly.

This invention provides a disposable filter unit installed at a position immediately down-stream from the spray cham-ber to intereept the draft-suspended paint particles before they can contaminate the duct walls of the eXhaust collection system. Preferably, this unit is installed in a down-draft portion of the exhaust duet located in the front of the cabinet, where an easily accessible cover constituting one wall of the duct can be removed to expose the filter for installation and removal.

The several features of the invention will be analyzed in further detail through a discussion of the particular embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 presents 'a sectional elevation of the preferred form of the invention, showing a view on a vertical plane through the central area of the cabinet of a spr-aying machine used in masked painting Operations.

FIGURE 2 presents a perspeetive view of a clip system for enzgaging the edge of a filter blanket.

FIGURE 3 presents a sectional elevation showing the installation of the device shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 illustrates a modified form of Suspension clip.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a further modified Suspension clip arrangement.

FIGURE 6 illustrates an installation tool for applying the form of Suspension clips shown in FIGURE l.

FIGURE 7 illustrates the lower extremity of the form of filter unit shown in FIGURE 1.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the spraying machine indicated generally at 110 has a spray opening 11 normally covered by a mask 12. Spray is projected against the 'ma-sk 12 by the gun 'assembly 13, and passes through the usual openings in a mask onto a workpiece (not shown). The gun assembly is carried upon a supporting structure indicated at 14, and this portion of the machine forms no part of the present invention.

It is conventional practice to apply a suction to the spray chamber 15 in order to remove spray partieles and fumes, and the illustrated form of the spraying machine has a down-draft exhaust flow in the duct 16 at the front of the machine. This duct has a rear wall 17 separating it from the chamber 15, and a portion of the front wall of the duct is formed by the removable cover 18. Because of its position at the front of the machine, this cover is easily accessible for the installation 'and removal of the filter units 24 (only one of which is shown). The cover 18 can be held in place by any standard detachable 3,320,927 Patented May 23, 1967 fastenings (not shown) engaging the marginal structure 22 surrounding the opening over which the cover 18 is applied. The presence of the filter units 24 intercepts the partieles of paint before they can eontaminate the down-stream portions of the duct and the subsequent exhaust-eollection system conventionally associated with this type of equipment. i

The filter units 24 are merely mats of fibrous material which are suspended from the structure shown in FIG- URE 1, with the central portion of these mats preferably being held in position by the effect of gravity acting upon the rods 25. These rods are merely placed in Suspension at the fold of the filter units, and are carried by them in the manner of a sling.

The structure of the cabinet 10 for aceommodating the Suspension system preferably includes reinforcing structure shown at 27, together with the Suspension braekets 28 and 29 secured to the front and back walls respectively of the exhaust duet. The lower extremity of the Z-shaped bracket `28 may be extended downwardly as shown at 28a to form a surface against which the removable cover '18 can 'be secured along a line of standard fastenings in- 'dicated at 31. Preferably, the bracket 28 is spot-welded to the cabinet 10, as shown at 32, or some other form of standard fastening maybe used.

A clip arrangernent for engaging the brackets 28 and 29 preferably includes a channel 33 with the inwardly offset portions 34 and 35 formed -at the outer extremities of the sides of the channel for engaging the soft mat of the filter unit 24. The 'hooks 36 may be bonded or otherwise secured to the channel 33 at spaced points along its length, and it is preferable that the channel 33 be of suffieient resilienee to permit the expansion outwardly in the manner of a tweezer to facilitate the insertion of the filter unit 24. A form of tool that has proved to be satisfactory for this purpose is illustrated in FIGURE 6. The arms 37 and 38 are separatble, and include hooked ends as shown at 39 and 40 for engagement with the outer extremities of the channel 33. The portions 41 and 42 engage the sides of the channel and act as fulera so that forces applied at the opposite end of the arms 37 and 38 tending to bring them closer together will serve to open the channel 33 to a greater extent for admission of the filter units. The structure of the clip system generally shown at 43 in FIGURE 6 is identical to that previously described.

vFIGURES 2 and 3 show a modified form of seeuring the filter units to a Suspension clip. The channel 44 is preferably provided with spaced Suspension hooks 45, and is also surrounded iby spaeed rings 46 having points of diseontinuity as shown at 47. These rings can be applied in either of two ways. They may be adapted to provide substantial resilienee so that they may be defiected outwardly to increase the gap at 47 and grip the filter unit 24 when released. Alternatively, these rings may be of relatively small wire diameter, and worked through the material of the filter mat so that the points of diseontinuity 47 are then rotated beyond the filter unit so that the unit remains suspended from the rings as if they were hooks.

Referring to FIGURE 4, a further modification of the Suspension equipment is illustrated in which a series of hook clips 48 may either be spaeed from each other, or formed as part of a continuous bar. The L-shaped rail 49 is disposed on the opposite side of the filter unit 50, and the edge of the unit is gripped by the pinehing action applied between the hook member 48 and the rail 49 by the bolt 51 and the wing nut 52.

Referring to FIGURE 5, a filter unit 53 is received between the opposite walls of the channel 54 to which the Suspension hooks 55 are bonded, with the retention of the edge of the filter unit 53 being maintained by pushpns as shown at 56. Suitable holes are spaeed along the sides of the channel 54 for freely receiving these pins, and may be manually nstalled and Withdrawn.

The particular embodiments of the present invention which have been illustrated and diseussed herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be considered as a limitation upon the scope of the appended claims. In these elaims, it is my intent to elaim the entire invenytion disclosed herein, exeept as I am limited by the prior art.

I elaim:

1. In combination With a spraying machine having a cabinet, a spray chamber, and exhaust means including a substantially Vertical down-draft duet in the front of said cabinet extending from said spray Chamber, a filter system for removing particles from the draft in said duet, 'said filter system eomprising:

filter means interposed in said Vertical cluding a flexible filter pad removably suspended at the opposite ends thereof from the opposite sides of said duet, and oceupying substantially the entire cross-section of said duet,

and including a Weight carried by said filter pad at the central portion thereof,

'said cabinet having a removable access panel opposite said filter means,

said cabinet having anchor means at the opposite sides of said duet, and said filter means including clip means engaging the ends of said filter pad and having Suspension terminals for engaging said anchor means.

2. In combination with a spraying machine having a cabinet, a spray Chamber, and exhaust means including a substantially Vertical doWn-draft duet in said cabinet extending from said spray chamber, a filter system for removing particles from the draft in said duet, said filter system comprising:

filter means interposed in said Vertical duet, and ineluding a flexible filter pad remova'bly suspended at the opposite ends thereof from the opposite sides of said duet, and oceupying substantially the entire cross-section of said duet,

duet, and inand including a Weight carried by said filter pad at the central portion thereof,

said cabinet having a removable access panel opposite said filter means,

said cabinet having anchor means at the opposite sides of said duet, and said filter means including clip means engaging the ends of said filter pad and having Suspension terminals for engaging said anchor means.

3. In combination With a spraying machine having a cabinet, a spray'ehamber, and an exhaust means including a substantially Vertical down-draft duet in said cabinet, a filter system for removing partieles from the draft in said duet, said filter system comprising:

filter means interposed in said duet, and including a flexible filter pad removably suspended at the opposite ends thereof from the opposite sides of said duet, and oceupying substantially the entire cross-section of said duet,

said cabinet having a removable access panel opposite said filter means,

said cabinet having anchor means at the opposite sides of said duet, and said filter means including clip means engaging the ends of said filter pad and having 'Suspension terminals for engaging said anchor means.

o References Cited by the Exaxniner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,310,205 2/1943 Bell 118-326, 2,532,420 12/1950 Pledger 55 500 X 2,715,359 8/1955 Machintosh et al 98 115 2,728,322 12/1955 Szczepanski 118 326 2,769,506 11/1956 Abboud 55-379 2,771,963 11/ 1956 Eichorn 55-502 2,818,043 12/1957 Smith et al. 118-326 X 3,209,521 10/1965 Roujob 55 379 X 3,218,784 11/1965 Greiner 55-500 X FOREIGN PATENTS 3,194 1910 Great Britain. 761,069 11/1956 Great Britain.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examner. 

3. IN COMBINATION WITH A SPRAYING MACHINE HAVING A CABINET, A SPRAY CHAMBER, AND AN EXHAUST MEANS INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL DOWN-DRAFT DUCT IN SAID CABINET, A FILTER SYSTEM FOR REMOVING PARTICLES FROM THE DRAFT IN SAID DUCT, SAID FILTER SYSTEM COMPRISING: FILTER MEANS INTERPOSED IN SAID DUCT, AND INCLUDING A FLEXIBLE FILTER PAD REMOVABLY SUSPENDED AT THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID DUCT, AND OCCUPYING SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE CROSS-SECTION OF SAID DUCT, SAID CABINET HAVING A REMOVABLE ACCESS PANEL OPPOSITE SAID FILTER MEANS, SAID CABINET HAVING ANCHOR MEANS AT THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID DUCT, AND SAID FILTER MEANS INCLUDING CLIP MEANS ENGAGING THE ENDS OF SAID FILTER PAD AND HAVING SUSPENSION TERMINALS FOR ENGAGING SAID ANCHOR MEANS. 